mx5cartalk.com

4WD merged into my car a few days ago, Insurance is replacing the door and rear quarter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4JEiRz ... mE_DuwT_kQ

Always drive with my headlights on during the day, I don't think he even bothered to look.

In my motorcycling days we called that a SMIDSY incident.
"Sorry Mate I Didn't See You"

He didn't see you cause he didn't use his side mirrors. You were in his 3/4 blind spot when he made his move. So his side mirror would've given him view of you. Especially with headlights one. His indicator is irrelivent as he merged into your lane unsafely making contact.

Good to see your are unhurt. The dash cam cam in useful this time. Considering the his first attempt at suggesting you were speeding, he might have attempted to take the further to insurance company and/or police to try and avoid fault.

That is a dangerous section of road and is a classic example of when things can go pear shaped very quickly. I hate it and always consider the section from where the video starts to Rhode Rd to be malfunction junction. You have to keep your eyes peeled and look way ahead in both lanes to try to anticipate the random and/or impatient actions of some drivers.

The school zone and pedestrian crossing just after Hurdcotte St, regardless of time, is a distraction and then some cars turn right into the side streets just at the end of that section and before Kedron Brook - as in the video. People sometimes just jump into the left lane because they did not anticipate cars ahead turning right. Some do it without a proper visual check. Some do it without indicating.

And then who knows if the SUV mirrors were correctly adjusted? Maybe they were set (as is most common) for a good view of the side of the car rather than the adjacent lane.

nothing you could have done, he was already committed to the merge before he indicated... love how he said you must have been speeding straight away. did the camera help with the insurance clam?

An MX5 is really a very low car in the world of giants. The car mix is actually a bit scary- far too many tanks dríven by incompetent people including trucks. Any small car esp one as low as an MX5 can be missed in the mirrors in blind spots. I recently got dríven off the road by a prime mover and he did not stop- I am sure he knew what he did. Two in the car and a small dent. Passing semis is also another hazardous exercise and the idiots authorities will book you for 3 km over - insane and dangerous. Good you are in one piece. PS a set of DRLs is a good investment in my view.

Legally you're right, but for an MX5 driver you're wrong. The defensive driving course should have told you to watch everything around you a bit more carefully and not to hang around in people's blind spots. To overtake in an MX5 you need to check out every car first, then blip through.

Is yours a Titanium?

I also undertake, especially if there's somewhere to go if a driver decides to try to take me out from the right hand lane. What is the legal situation with undertaking?

In Austrlaia no one seems to care. No one has ever heard of keeping left. Least of all in Brisbane.

part of defensive driving also includes keeping out of peoples 3/4 blind spot. Not saying this is your fault.....but thats where people when they are dreaming don't see you.

anyway. Its good your getting your damage replaced. Hope its not too much of a inconvenience to you.

oops just realised Magna blue already stated. But Agree totally.

davekmoore wrote:I also undertake, especially if there's somewhere to go if a driver decides to try to take me out from the right hand lane. What is the legal situation with undertaking?

From the Qld Transport Website:

"On single-lane roads, drivers must stay as close as practical to the left side of the road.

When the speed limit is 90km/h or more on multi-lane roads, you must not drive in the right-hand lane unless you are:

overtaking
turning right
making a U-turn
avoiding an obstacle
driving in congested traffic.

It is an offence to drive in the right lane if none of the above criteria are occurring.

This rule also applies to a road with a speed limit of 80km/h or less, if there is a KEEP LEFT UNLESS OVERTAKING sign.

Drivers are allowed to overtake on the left on all multi-lane roads."

Thanks JBT. Wouldn't it be great if the rules about getting out of the right hand lane were correctly complied with? Mind you, I met a lady yesterday who said she'd been taught (by a policeman) to always drive in the right hand lane to give her more options if a 'roo jumped out on her. Not sure it does give more options though, as there's still only one lane to swerve into.

How would you know a car you obviously didn't see or know was there was speeding?

Pretty clearly insufficient indication and the fact he got you in the side makes this a done deal.

That said, a good tip is to be super wary when you see cars stopped to turn right and you have someone in that position - it is likely they'll merge over, and sadly our low cars, combined with people not checking mirrors that are likely pointed at door handles, mean we often get merged upon.

I recognise it was likely you hadn't seen the car turning right, so would have been unaware as to why the SUV was slowing - indeed, if I hadn't seen the car stopped ahead, I'd have probably made the assumption he was slowing to turn right.

People are idiots.
I even check going through green lights (someone may jump the red).

Bruce,
I really enjoy your posts, they are so definitive.
Greg.